CES Spotlight blog posts shine a light on youth sector programs and initiatives in Ontario that are undertaking an evaluation journey in collaboration with YouthREX’s Customized Evaluation Supports (CES) at one of our regional hubs across Ontario. The blog posts describe the programs and initiatives and how evaluation supports their objectives to improve youth wellbeing.

Success Beyond Limits exists to provide youth with the opportunity to progress from wherever they are to wherever they want to be.

MISSIONSuccess Beyond Limit’s vision is a collaborative, youth-led, community based movement that provides youth with holistic supports to complete their education and experience success in their lives. The organization’s vision is to improve educational outcomes, expand possibilities, and support youth in Jane and Finch along their individual paths to success.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMThe program’s focus is to reduce the impact of external factors that negatively affect the educational success of youth in Jane-Finch. SBL operates a 6-week summer program that offers credits, mentorship, youth employment, enrichment, nutrition, engagement, graduation, and relationship building. The organization continues its support through its presence within Westview Centennial Secondary School, where it operates a youth space.

“SBL is a program filled with people who want to see you doing your best. They’re always there for you when you need them, and they’re always pushing you to the best of your abilities.”

– Corrie, Participant

Success Beyond Limits operates a youth space in Westview Centennial Secondary School where staff support youth during the school day, they run an after-school program, and also connect youth to an array of diverse opportunities.

“…I want it to be very intentional; we want to focus on our youth space itself. We’ve never really done research around what that means to the youth; it’s always kind of been overlooked but now we’re starting the community hub conversations and I think it’s really important for us to capture our youth space…”

– Success Beyond Limits

Why Customized Evaluation Supports?

Although Success Beyond Limits has undergone evaluations in the past, they felt like it didn’t capture exactly what they were looking for. It was useful, but they weren’t able to measure the impact they were making. They felt that they didn’t have the capacity or the know how to connect it all together.

We’re excited to share that Success Beyond Limits has completed a full evaluation journey with YouthREX, moving through the seven steps of our framework to Learning from Evidence: External Communication.

“…I would love to get them [youth] involved. They’ve done work with us in terms of strategic planning and that type of evaluation…I don’t think they’ve done any work in terms of actually coming up with the evaluation, so I definitely want to see them get involved with that.”